


Snowdrops

by NanaWakagimi



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, April!Jean, Crying Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, I Tried, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, March!Marco, May!Connie, SnK Artists: Big Bang Challenge, Spring Spirit!Eren, Vernal Equinox, Winter Spirit!Levi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-14
Updated: 2015-10-14
Packaged: 2018-04-26 09:10:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4999039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NanaWakagimi/pseuds/NanaWakagimi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Warmth is an opposite of cold as well as the beginning is an opposite of the end. In some cases opposites attract while in another they don’t. This rule works for everything, even the seasons. Eren, as the Spring Spirit, shouldn’t approach anything what is cold. But he can’t help that he likes unique shapes of snowflakes, and hoarfrost that reminds him of beautiful flowers.<br/>His natural curiosity tells him to go out and find the mysterious Winter Spirit who is responsible for all these things. However, he never managed to wake up in the day of vernal equinox before, so this time he’s about to change that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snowdrops

**Author's Note:**

> ~for Big Bang Challenge by SnK Artists Network :) Fuck, it was supposed to be fluff but I’ve got angst instead. Guys, English is not my native language. So, please, tell me if you see any mistakes. Thanks in advance!

_Dear Diary!_

_I usually tell you about what I’ve dreamed of last night or how my day was but this time I have a serious problem I need to share with you. The problem is untypical for someone like me, I mean, I’m the Spring Spirit after all, so I’m a bit scared of how the other seasons would react. Okay, I’ll better stop beating around the bush and finally tell you what’s going on._

_Well, as you know, the vernal equinox comes tomorrow and I can never get yourself to wake up on time. I always go outside either in the end of March or in April. And that makes me sad ‘cause I’ve never managed to meet a person I admire for their hard work. I wish I could meet them and congratulate them on being so talented and creative when making snowflakes and hoarfrost patterns on my window. What they do is not just an ordinary duty. It’s an art. It’s almost like creating ice flowers. My friend Armin, who is the Summer Spirit, told me it’s better to not take any risk. Everybody know that if a warm season will get too close to a cold one, there can be consequences that cannot be reversed. However, I want to check this out on my own. Maybe he said this because he’s the warmest one of us?_

_Oh, I need to! This year I need to wake up on time and go for the walk ‘cause if I won’t I’m gonna feel bad again for the next twelve months. This time I swear – I definitely meet Winter. I’m going to do this, even if I had to die._

...At this point, Eren finished writing and closed his diary, and then looked at a huge clock on the wooden wall that was informing him that today was March 20 th. He rose from the desk and lain down on his fluffy bed but before closing his eyes, he looked up at a greenish little bird that was sitting on a branch growing out of the wall.

“Primrose, I have to ask you for something...” he started what made the animal look down at him. “Wake me up in 21st this year, okay?”

Hearing this, Primrose started to chirp out loud in the act of protest because she was always allowed to sleep until the end of March and there was no problem with that. In that case, she didn’t understand why it was supposed to be different this year.

“I know, I know I always stay up late but this time I need to be awake very early. Look, if you’ll wake me up, I’ll reward you with a big fat caterpillar. Okay?”

The bird looked at her owner suspiciously and, after a moment of thinking, she finally nodded what made Eren grin. Then he closed his eyes and clapped his hands, making all the candle lights in his round wooden room turned off.

 

“SHIT!” shrieked Eren when he opened his eyes and realized what time it was. Though Primrose was shouting at the top of her voice, the boy didn’t wake up in the morning, as he wanted, but in the late afternoon. No matter if it was still March twenty first – this day was about to end soon. He was late again and nothing could change that... If there wasn’t a fact that Eren was always going to do what he decided. In that case, he jumped out of the bed, then took a quick shower, next he put on his gauzy white outfit decorated with peach blossom petals and flower crown made of liverleafs, and finally he was ready to go outside.

Eren’s home was placed inside a trunk of thick oak tree in the middle of forest. It was completely invisible for an ordinary mortal being, just like it’s resident, so the Spring Spirit didn’t have to worry that someone could die from heart attack when seeing a cool clothed young man with blue flower crown who just ran out of his apartment together with a chiffchaff that could understand everything he said. The boy was running around the forest and calling ‘Come out, Winter Spirit!’ while remembering about his job, so he was touching every tree on his way. He was usually stopping so that he could look at his work but this day was obviously different. He couldn’t let Winter leave too quickly, so he was running and running through the forest without paying any attention on neither nature coming alive nor the snow melting under his feet.

“Primrose, could you, please, fly up and let me know if you saw something strange?” asked Eren but soon he heard a loud protest from the bird. “Oh, c’mon! I’ll give you some fly larvas in addition to that caterpillar if you want!”

Primrose became silent and flew up above the trees meanwhile the lad smiled at it with satisfaction and continued searching. He was meandering around the forest until he saw a giant rock covered with moss in which a wooden doors and small round windows were built-in. There was a light glowing inside, so Eren decided to take a risk and knock the doors of this weird built cottage. Perhaps it’s resident has heard anything of the Winter Spirit?

“I’m coming!” said a gentle male voice. Then the door opened and the Spring Spirit saw a freckled lad with black hair who looked at his unexpected quest with surprise.

“Hi... My name is Eren the Spring Spirit.” he greeted him politely.

“Oh, so you are that well-known first season. Marco the March, it’s nice to meet you...” said the lad, embracing himself.

“Sorry if I’m bothering you but haven’t you seen the Winter Spirit lately?”

Marco the March raised his right eyebrow and shook his head what made Eren sigh with disappointment.

“No... I mean, I had but it was so long time ago...” said the rock’s resident, and suddenly he started to tremble and clang his teeth. “...I-I recom-mend you t-to look f-for him somewhere in t-the N-North...”

“Are you really that cold?” asked the Spring Spirit being all surprised since he was feeling only a bit of cold wind.

“I-It’s okay, I’m... I-I’m simply born w-with it...” Marco stuttered. “O-One moment I’m warm... Next I’m c-cold... S-Sorry but I have t-to go back ins-side... I-It was really n-nice to meet y-you...”

The March waved to him and went back into his rock house immediately. Eren, on the other hand, took his new friend’s advice to heart and went in the said direction. The time was running out, so he wanted Primrose to be back with any news already. However, the bird wasn’t coming back, making the boy terribly worried. Maybe she got lost? Or fainted? Or maybe she got attacked by another bird that was bigger than her? He was submerged in his negative thoughts so deeply that he haven’t noticed a lad pushing a wooden wheelbarrow full of flower boxes. The stranger stared at the Spring Spirit for a while when they passed each other, and because of this he didn’t see a stone on the ground. His vehicle has stopped roughly, and some flowers fell out the wheelbarrow just like a bit of soil in which they were growing. Seeing this, the lad groaned with dissatisfaction making Eren turn back to him.

“Just great!” bellowed the stranger, kneeling and picking the plants from the ground.

“Wait a minute, I’ll help you!” offered Eren, kneeling next to him, then took some soil in his hands and placed it back in the box.

“Thanks but... Who are you exactly?” asked the lad, looking at him with amaze.

“Eren the Spring Spirit.”

Hearing this, the stranger giggled under his breath what made Eren a bit confused.

“...What are you laughing at?” he asked.

“Isn’t it too early this year? You were supposed to arrive in few next days. Well, as you always do...”

“Hey, I’m gonna make you pick these flowers by yourself if you won’t shut up!”

“Easy, man! I was joking.” he laughed and gave the Spring Spirit his hand. “To be fair – I’m Jean the April.”

Eren looked at Jean’s thin palm and shook it. Then they both went back to placing soil and flowers to the box.

“To be honest...” Eren said. “...I would arrive late again this year if I hadn’t something to do. Right, haven’t you seen the Winter Spirit?”

These words made Jean frown.

“...Why does a warm season want to know such a thing?”

“Well...” started the Spring Spirit, blushing a little. “...I just want to meet him.”

“...I see.” replied the April with dead voice and finished picking up the flowers. “Good luck then. Let me know if you’ll meet him and survive.”

“Hey, I know this is inappropriate but it’s not that I want to touch him or something. I only want to tell him he’s doing a good job, that’s all.”

Suddenly Jean stood up, being clearly outraged by Eren’s words.

“What?” asked the Spring Spirit with surprise.

“...Is hurting people a ‘good job’ to you?”

Hearing this, Eren also rose up from the ground and looked into Jean’s eyes all shocked.

“You’re kidding, right...?” he asked in a trembling voice.

“Do I look like I’m kidding?” the April snarled. “What the hell were you thinking? Winter is not some delicate flower or anything. Oh, God, and why am I so surprised? You never arrive on time, so you can’t know...”

“It’s... Kind of hard to believe it...”

“Oh, yeah? Then let me enlighten you.” at this point, Jean turned his voice into whisper. “Why do you think warm seasons and months must keep themselves away from the cold ones?”

“...Well... It’s because we can hurt each other if we get too close to ourselves, right...?”

“While you can only burn his arm a little, he’s able to freeze you to death as well. That guy is extremely dangerous. People are either killed or becoming ill because of him. I know what I’m saying, okay? My friend has met him once and it didn’t work up for him.”

“What happened to him...?”

“Luckily, he’s not dead but one moment he’s warm and next he’s cold. I give him these medical flowers every year so he can get better just for a bit.”

“B-But...”

“But what?! What else don’t you understand?”

“...Marco said he was born with it.”

“Geez, he probably didn’t want to make you worry. I’m sick of his _‘I’m ill but the asshole who did this to me isn’t that bad’_ attitude... Wait. How do you know Marco?”

Eren was about to answer him but Jean only waved his hand and stood behind the wheelbarrow.

“Never mind.” he said and grabbed wheelbarrow’s handles, pushing the vehicle forward. “Thanks for helping but I believe that you're not only kindhearted but also wise, and you won’t try to look for that damn Winter Spirit anymore.”

These words made Eren’s blood boil. No one has right to demotivate him like this, especially not so prejudiced person like Jean.

“...I’m gonna find him!” he bellowed, what made the April stop and turn back to him. “You heard me! I will find him and learn what he’s like, and then you’ll see which one of us is truly wise here!”

“Alright! Go kill yourself, I’m not gonna miss you! Don’t say I didn’t warn you then!”

After this, they both went in their own directions, and Eren was willing to never meet up with this guy again.

 ** _What an asshole!,_** thought the Spring Spirit. **_How does he know anything about Winter’s intentions? If that Marco guy said that nothing happened, as I think he said, then nothing happened!_**

Of course, Eren himself wasn’t quite sure why the Winter Spirit made Marco ill but he decided to not be like Jean and make his own opinion when he’ll finally know the truth. Because how someone who was making such wonderful things like snowflakes and hoarfrost could be bad? Not to mention that the March himself told him where he should go and look for Winter and never said any words of warning.

**_I need to know this immediately. And where the heck is Primrose?_ **

He thought that if he wasted so much time helping the April, then Primrose should be already back, or at least make a loud whistle if she’d lost. At least he would be able to find her then but nothing like that wasn’t happening, so the boy was going all nervous imagining the worst possible scenarios. Oh, where did she go? Eren couldn’t continue looking for the Winter Spirit without knowing Primrose was safe.

“Primrose!” he called as loud as he could but his voice only echoed through the forest. There was no answer. Only a wind’s noise and singing of the other birds that definitely weren’t chiffchaffs. After all, there was no way to mistake that trill with anyone else’s, especially that the rest of chiffchaffs were still asleep.

However, Eren wasn’t going to give up. He was walking through the backwoods calling his bird friend... Until Primrose finally responded. The sound of her trill removed all of the Spring Spirit’s doubts and made him feel relieved. Eren, being all happy about this fact, immediately ran to the place from where he heard the trill, and after few minutes he approached a certain little wooden cottage surrounded by sparrows flying around it. Then he saw a sign saying ‘Connie May’s Shelter for Birds’ in front of the cottage, and a young boy with thatch hat who was holding...

“...Primrose!” screamed Eren with happiness and ran closer to them. “Oh, Primrose, I was so worried! I thought you...!”

But his joy quickly changed into pain when the bird flew to the top of his head and started to peck him.

“Ow! Hey, stop it! Calm down! Ow!”

Though she didn’t want to, Primrose finally stopped and flew away to sit back in the alleged Connie’s hands.

“Correct me if I’m wrong but... Are you Eren?” he asked.

“Yes... How do you know?”

“I found your friend at the brink of the forest. She was completely frozen, so I took her to my house and warmed her up. Then she told me about you and your plans, and... Don’t get me wrong but why do you look for Winter? I mean, it’s pretty dangerous, isn’t it...?”

Hearing this question, the Spring Spirit frowned and clenched fists.

“First that April guy, and now you...” he hissed. “What’s wrong with you, people?”

“H-Hey, easy, man! This idea is simply shocking to me, or even a bit scary... After all, there were a lot of people that has been hurt when met the Winter Spirit, and now your bird...”

“...Where will I find him?” asked Eren in a low voice, making Connie shudder.

“Excuse me...?”

“I was going to talk to him but I was looking for Primrose and I’ve lost my way. Where is the Winter Spirit?”

Connie gulped, seeing Eren’s look.

**_This guy is not joking. Seems like he’s lost his mind if he want to meet Winter so bad... But, on the other hand, he is the one who always starts the seasons cycle. Maybe... Maybe this idea isn’t that scary as it looks like...?_ **

“...I saw him going towards the North, there...” said the May, pointing at the direction on his left side. Eren nodded, and then ran through the forest, making a promise to himself that he was going to find the Winter Spirit even if he would freeze to death. In this moment, nothing could stop him – neither the greatest wind, nor the coldest snow.

 

White emptiness.

The coldness of wind howling around.

Snowflakes making a new layer on pile of knee-deep white cold fluff in which you could wade through.

And finally, there was a small hooded man that was walking through the snow while holding an ice-covered and curved wooden stick in his hands. He was walking as fast as he could but the wind was making it too hard, and though he was trying to control it, he wasn’t able to do it at all.

 ** _Goddammit... Spring will be around in a moment. Why so early this year...?_** , thought the Winter Spirit, trying to go faster. **_Screw a power that cannot be controlled in any ways..._**

At this point, the wind blew so strong that it moved his hood out of his head and brought him to show his unbelievably pale skin, his hair white as a snow, and his small grey eyes to the world. Wherever the Spring was right now, he was hoping that they’ll stay away from him so they wouldn’t end up like that little bird that was trying to bring him to them without success. But, on the other hand, this was also the bird’s fault that she pushed herself into the cold’s embrace. After all, it asn’t new how cruel and merciless the last season could be. Every weak, or ill-fitted, or badly prepared being could simply die from freezing, and even if they’d survive they could struggle with illnesses. And him who should make it stop was trying to get himself to know why he could create the frost but not control it. Even now he was whispering some commands under his breath without any progress.

He was feeling like a leper – he could neither touch nor approach anybody. Oh, how much he was willing to... He was so curious about the taste of fruits of the forest when there was hot and sunny. He was wondering how it is to lay on a meadow full of flowers. How it is to feel warm without fear of being burned. And finally – he wanted to know the beauty of this world when Spring was ruling it. How colorful it had to be, how alive...

“...Nter Spirit!”

How wonderful...

“...Winter Spirit!”

...But what was that? Who was calling his name? Who was stupid enough to come to meet him up? He looked back and saw a silhouette of a person who was coming closer to him, and the blizzard seemed to be ending with their every step. Could it be...

**_Spring? Oh, no..._ **

He speeded up without hesitation, and his walking changed into running.

“Winter Spirit, stop!”

He only put his hood back on his head, not even thinking about stopping. Spring was the last person he’d like to unintentionally hurt, so he truly wanted them to give it a rest and stop chasing him but nothing like that was happening, to his disappointment.

**_What a stubborn person!_ **

At last he stopped, and so did the Spring Spirit after a few minutes. They both were breathing heavily in a complete silence.

“Fi... Finally...” gasped Eren, trying to calm himself down. “...I thought... I’m never going to make it...”

“...Make what?” asked the Winter Spirit as he only managed to catch some breath.

“...Catch you, of course...”

Hearing this, light-haired man turned back to him slowly.

“...Did I do so much bad things that even Spring came to punish me?”

Instead of answering, Eren was staring at his face – it looked so pale and smooth, just like those snowdrifts in the distance. The Winter Spirit’s eyes, on the other hand, were giving him goose bumps that were so intensive he wondered if it was because of cold or the fact he’s heard a lot of this guy today. However, he promised to himself that he won’t judge until he get to know him better, so he cleared his throat and made a step towards the light-haired Spirit what made that man step back.

“I don’t want to punish you. I came here to talk.” said Eren calmly.

“Talk about what?” asked the Winter Spirit, gripping his wooden staff tightly. The boy gulped when hearing the low and nasty tone of his voice.

“F-First I’d like to introduce myself... My name is Eren and I’m...”

“The Spring Spirit. I know, I noticed that.”

These words made Eren laugh nervously.

“Y-Yeah... And you? Do you have a name beside your title?”

The Winter Spirit frowned.

“Why do you care?”

“No reason...”  the Spring Spirit shrugged what made his interlocutor sigh deeply.

“Levi.” he said, making Eren relieved. “...What do you want to talk about? I’m in a hurry.”

At this point, Eren stopped smiling and recalled memories from today’s day – the small grin of Marco the March who was trembling from cold, the outraged look of Jean the April who was warning him against the Winter Spirit, and finally the scared face of Connie the May with Primrose that he saved from death of freezing.

_“...Is hurting people a ‘good job’ to you?”_

_“...After all, there were a lot of people that has been hurt when they met the Winter Spirit...”_

_“...Did I do so much bad things that even Spring came to punish me?”_

Eren swallowed his saliva and looked into Levi’s eyes, taking a deep breath.

“Are all those things people keep saying about you... True...?” he said at last, clenching his fists.

Levi didn’t say any words. He neither made any moves implying that he would potentially hurt Spring. The only thing he did was staring at Eren’s face for some time and then turning back and going away.

 ** _He wants to blow me off, huh? No way in hell!,_** thought the Spring Spirit and came after Winter.

“Hey, I asked you something!” he yelled.

“I don’t care.”

“Answer me! Is it true?”

“So what if it is? Leave me alone.”

“I won’t until I learn what’s going on here! They’ve been warning me against you and I want to know why! So, please, save me the trouble and tell me – why do you keep hurting every single one around you?!”

Suddenly, Levi stopped and turned back to Eren, aiming his staff at him what made the boy cover himself with both of his hands and close his eyes in preparation for cruel frost. He managed to say ‘Goodbye’ internally to the world and Primrose, and he even was about to tell Jean he was right... But, to his surprise and relief, nothing bad happened. He neither felt any cold nor became numb. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw the end of Levi’s staff from which the ice has vanished, and there were three little leafs growing out of the wood. They both were pretty shocked – the Spring Spirit, because he couldn’t believe he was still alive, and the Winter Spirit, because he never expected any signs of life on a frozen wood.

“Y... You melted the ice...” he muttered.

“Uh... I’m sorry...?”

Levi’s expression didn’t change at all. He was still staring at those little green amazing things with not so much of shock but admiration in his eyes. He has been downright charmed by those. However, when he brought the end of the staff closer to him, the leafs suddenly grew, then turned brown and fell down, and the wood covered with ice again. That little bit of joy in the Winter Spirit’s heart quickly turned into huge sorrow and bitterness that he didn’t manage to hide as he was always doing until now. Eren gulped as he only noticed it.

“Hey, is everything alr...?”

“...Leave.”

“But...”

“Please... Just leave. Go before you end up like these leaves...” Levi murmured. “The last thing I’d like to do is to hurt you...”

But instead of listening to him, the Spring Spirit only shook his head.

“I don’t understand anything...” he said, looking at dead leaves. “If you don’t mean to harm anyone then why do everybody keep complaining about you?”

“I believe you saw it yourself... No matter how much I want it and how hard I try – I can’t stop this in any ways. I don’t even know why it’s happening but I’m definitely sure that until I can be able to control my powers everyone should be stay away from me. Especially _you_.”

Eren’s eyes were widening and widening as long as he was listening to him.

**_So I was right. He’s not dangerous at all._ **

He only didn’t know how he was supposed to feel after such confession – should he be more relieved that the Winter Spirit wasn’t hurting people on purpose or rather feel sorry for him because he couldn’t do anything about it? Everyone were accusing him of being deadly violent and cruel while he just needed someone to help him. The only question is – how to make it happen...?

“I can’t let the most important person in this world get hurt, so now if I may...” Levi turned his back with intention of finally going away from this place but before he could make a first step forward...

“You may not.” said Eren roundly, forcing the Winter Spirit to look at him again. “You heard me. I won’t let you go away until we solve your problem.”

Hearing this, Levi frowned.

“Are you aware that there are thousands of people who only wait for me to disappear? They say it would be better if I never existed.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure they have no idea how needed you are.”

“Needed?” Levi snorted in disbelief. “By who?”

“...The nature, for example!” said the Spring Spirit, smiling nervously. “The nature needs you! Plants can’t be blooming all the time. They need a rest, just like humans, and it’s only possible if you’re around.”

The Winter Spirit’s face softened when hearing this words.

“Oh, and the cold keeps people together. I know it sounds strange but it’s true. When they feel cold, they look for another person to warm them up, so there has to be something in it, right?”

Eren noticed something strange in Levi’s eyes but he wasn’t discouraged by that and he kept speaking in hope it’s going to work.

“And if it comes to me... Well... I woke up so early this year just for you.” he confessed with blush on his cheeks, what made the Winter Spirit open his mouth a little because he couldn’t believe what he just heard. He didn’t even think about interrupting Spring. Let him speak. Let him explain what he was seeing in someone like Winter.

“Maybe you’re not quite aware of it...” Eren continued. “...But you’re more than just a season. To me, you’re also a great artist.”

“...M... Me? An artist...? How can you say that...?”

“Why not? You have no idea how much I like your snowflakes. Oh, and the hoarfrost on my window! You know, every time I look at it I think about irises. These are my favorite flowers, really!”

 ** _Stop..._** , thought Levi having an unpleasant feeling deep in his throat. **_You’re too nice..._**

“Also, why do you even listen to people who hate you? Dew drops look like crystals when changed into ice. Kids are having fun when playing snowballs, and you can draw hearts with ice skates on frozen lakes.  I know this ‘cause sometimes I go out when you rule the world.”

**_Don’t say things like that to me anymore..._ **

“Of course, I need to put something warm on my shoulders but it’s nothing... H-Hey! What’s wrong?”

Winter’s hands clenched into fists were shaking terribly. He, on the other hand, was trying to not show any weakness but he couldn’t. He just couldn’t believe that for the first time in basically forever someone was so nice to him that it made him cry of joy. He was so happy that even Eren, who should know the feeling of happiness the best of all people, wouldn’t be able to imagine it. Levi’s happiness couldn’t be compared to any other ones.

Tears were falling down, one after another, making little holes in the snow until Levi realized it’s time to pull himself together and wipe off the water from his cheeks.

“T-There, there... Easy...” said Eren who never expected such reaction. “It’s going to be alright, just don’t cry anymore, okay...?”

The Winter Spirit nodded though his breath was still not calm.

 ** _This is not enough... I need to do something else._** , thought the boy. Then he noticed the holes in snow made by Levi’s tears and suddenly he came up with a certain idea.

“Um... How do you feel...?” he asked.

“This better be the last time... Besides, even if you like snowflakes so bad it doesn’t change a fact that I’m dangerous. Thank you but... Well. I hope you understand.”

“Of course... But wait, before you go, I’d like to show you something. Kneel down for a second...”

Levi raised his eyebrow and did what Eren asked him for. The Spring Spirit also kneeled down, and after twirling his right hand three times in a row, a few little white and green lights came out from his fingers and it immediately flew to the holes. Levi, being all speechless, was watching carefully a tiny green stalk that was coming out from under the snow. Then he saw another one. And another, and another. All the four was growing up, slowly forming little buds that started to change into white slender blossoms. In the end, the petals bent over a bit and Eren smiled heartily at the Winter Spirit.

“Those flowers... They grew out from under the snow...” said Levi quietly.

“Can you see it now? You’re not dangerous. And the other will see that, too, when you finally manage to fully control your powers.” said Eren in a gentle voice. “Oh, and by the way – I’ve been wondering how to name those flowers but now I think I’m gonna name them in honor of you. How about ‘snowdrops’?”

These words made the man raise his eyebrow while having his eyes partially open.

“Seriously?”

“...H-Hey, I know it sounds cliché but I’m not as creative as you...” said Eren, scratching the back of his head, and right after this he heard Levi’s short laughter.

“I’m just kidding.” the Winter Spirit said. “It’s not bad at all.”

The boy smiled when hearing this little bit of joy in his interlocutor’s voice. After this, they both raised up from their knees, and the Spring Spirit pulled one of liverleafs out from his flower crown and then he was going to give it to his new acquaintance but Levi hesitated to accept the gift.

“Relax. Nothing will happen.” Eren assured him. “Liverleafs are resistant to frost.”

Though the Winter Spirit was still not convinced, he decided to take a risk. He took the liverleaf from the boy’s hands hesitantly... And he felt truly relieved when he saw that the flower neither died out nor covered with rime frost.

“Keep it as a keepsake.” said Eren with smile.

“Thank you... Oh, and Eren...?”

“Hm? What is it?”

At this point, Levi clenched his lips, not being clearly sure if he was allowed to ask for such thing... But, on the other hand, what bad would’ve happened if they saw each other again in the future? Finally he decided he couldn’t let Eren wait any longer, so he cleared his throat and swallowed his saliva.

“Could we...” he started. “...Could we meet up in the next year...?”

Hearing this, the boy raised slowly the both of his eyebrows and giggled.

“You really want to?” he asked. “Oh, that would be great! We’ll see each other here at the same time! You can stay at this meadow when you’ll finish your walk and my time will come! I’m gonna create more snowdrops so that it would be easier for you to find this place. What do you think? ...O-Or maybe not. They’re not gonna appear if you’ll come in the middle of February or whenever else before the 21st... I’ll do something else...”

“You don’t have to do anything. I can get by somehow.” the Winter Spirit said.

“Are you sure?”

Levi only nodded, for the first time in his life being completely aware of what he said. Finally, he was able to understand why he couldn’t control his power. People have been confirming him in belief he’s dangerous for so long that he started believing them over time. And suddenly he bumped into someone who not only spoke into his mind but also was seeing more than the others. Who knows – maybe it was just a beautiful dream and he’s about to wake up in his house on the North? Well, even though, the Winter Spirit was happy anyway. Making few steps back, he waved to Eren with little smile on his face, and when the boy returned the goodbye, Levi turned back and left, holding the liverleaf close to his chest.

The Spring Spirit, on the other hand, was standing there until Winter completely disappeared from his sight. Of course, he felt a bit sad about his new friend not being able to stay any longer but he was hoping that it will pay to wait this one year. With one move of his hand, he warmed the snow-capped meadows up, and also left.

After all, he promised Primrose the big reward for waking him up so early.


End file.
